Halfway
by ajscribbles
Summary: Do you remember your childhood best friend? How would you feel if that best friend moved away? Inuyasha experiences the pain of losing his first and only best friend at a tender age. However, their fates cross paths once again twenty years later, and though much has changed, some things remained the same.
1. Childhood Days

**A/N:** This is a little thank you to the Inuyasha fandom for being so kind and awesome and loving, and also all of my (108) followers, who are just as kind and sweet and wonderful, thank you for my first milestone on tumblr. ;_; I thought this would just a little ficlet, but as far as my thoughts have gone…. It's going to need a lil more than that. *winks*

* * *

 _Eighteen... nineteen... twenty!_

"Ready or not here I come!"

Her hair blew in the direction of the wind as the fallen leaves followed its course. Her footsteps were heavy, yet gentle - slowly and quietly dominating all of the forgotten leaves.

"Hmmm, where could he be?" she pondered as she lifted her little finger on top of her chin and beat on it like a drum. She continued her walking; looking through the peepholes in the neighbors' fences and sneaking up quietly behind the neighbors' dogs.

Then suddenly, _BNNNNGGG._ "Inu?! INU? COME OUT I DON'T WANT TO PLAY ANYMORE!" the child squealed and pleaded. She looked around and surveyed the area, moving the little strips from her bangs out of the way. The sky was clear and the flowers were just blooming. She was able to notice these little things before succeeding at the so-called game, "Hide-and-seek."

 _Twenty-one... twenty-two... twenty-three..._

"GOTCHA!"

The boy screeched as he jumped out out of the neighbor's gate. His long, white, and very well-groomed hair flailed north, east, south, and west; just about the same directions as the girl's voice had gone.

"I-Inu, the rules are not to go into anyone's backyards! You know we'll get in trouble!" the girl squeaked, trying to recollect bits and pieces of her lost voice. "Keh! Yeah right, just chill out Kagome, we're not in tro-" His words were stopped by a man who was dressed in nothing but a dark, earthy brown bathrobe and green slippers, which was not intimidating and much more amusing.

The tension, awkwardness, and confusion caused the time to slow down and air to thicken. "Um, is there a problem, Mr. Jaken?" Kagome whimpered a bit beneath her breath. "I don't know, _is there_?" Jaken shifted his eyes towards the boy, causing his blood to automatically boil.

"What's it to ya, Mr. Jaken?! Do you have a problem with me and my friend playing hide-and-seek or something?" the boy snared as he folded his arms viciously. "Inu..." "It's okay, Kagome," he interrupted, "I guess big guy over here doesn't want us to have fun or someth-" The man cut Inuyasha's words short by pulling out a bat from behind his door, chasing the child down the street yodeling, "GET! OFF! MY! PROPERTY!"

The boy's white hair was flying in one direction now, and that was south as he attempted to make his escape. He ran with such carelessness, such ease. He ran almost as easy as the wind. His bright red clothes made him a bright red dot that was running around in circles, squares, triangles; a thought at which, made Kagome laugh.

"KA-GO-ME!" Inuyasha huffed while throwing his arms around to grab her attention. "Eh?" she questioned as she fixed one of her pigtails. "Eh? What do you mean eh? Don't just stand there!"

She tapped her feet and beat her chin, "What to do, what to do, what to do?!" Her thoughts jumbled up into scribbles and scrabbles, distorting all the words, shapes, and colors. Inuyasha wasn't tired, he was just a bit bored now. He ran around and jumped on railings, slipping and sliding all over the place because he loved getting underneath Jaken's skin and watch his failed attempts of ever capturing him, or even getting a hit on him.

A light bulb had struck when Kagome finally figured out what to do in order to save her friend from boredom by doing what she does best - talking.

She tightened her two pigtails and ruffled her skirt as she marched over to block off Mr. Jaken. She stomped her feet and came to a firm halt as she lifted her hand as high as she could reach, which was up to Mr. Jaken's stomach, but that worked for her. She had the biggest smirk on her face, distracting Mr. Jaken instantaneously, "Yes, sweetheart?"

"Um..." she fumbled, "Let me tell you about what I learned in school today! I learned how to tell time, the colors of the rainbow, the other colors outside of the rainbow, dogs, cats, chickens, penguins, vegetables are really good for you, two plus two indeed does _not_ equal fish, animals and humans are supposed to live in harmony, pizza isn't always good for yo-"

"That's great, hun, but I have to deal with your frien- What?! Where'd he go?" Jaken shouted out into the distance. "HA! Like you'd ever outsmart the two of us, _Mr_. Jaken!" Inuyasha blurted as he ran behind his home, "KAGOME! Meet me _halfway_!"

"Mm, 'kay!" she smiled and turned back around, "Bye, Mr. Jaken this was fun!" Her pigtails bounced as she hopped away. "That wasn't- He's so- Ugh!" Jaken exclaimed.

Kagome continued crinkling the fallen leaves on the ground as she made her way to Inuyasha's house. His house was more vintage, than it was modern; it had old-school designs and a light tan color and brown fences surrounding it. _Halfway_ was the two's code word for "the little oddly-shaped cave looking thing in Inuyasha's backyard." The two came up with it after constantly arguing who meets up where, even though they lived across the street from one another, Inuyasha always wanted Kagome to be the one to simply go to his house, but Kagome thought otherwise, calling it "unfair," which is when the boy came up with, "Let's just meet _halfway_!" Even though, technically, they weren't meeting halfway this time, they still were in some way.

She was now dominating over the fresh, shiny pieces of grass as she made her way through the cracked gate that Inu had left open. There wasn't much to look at on that path; there was Inuyasha's tan house to the left, and some other boy's light green house to the right with a mid-sized black fence separating them. There were a couple of beautifully colored flowers along the path, however. Inu's mother loved gardening and watching her son enjoy the outdoors.

After a couple minutes of a stroll, Kagome had finally reached "the little oddly-shaped cave looking thing in Inuyasha's backyard," with the boy's ears sticking out of the little formation. "Finally! What took you so long, slowpoke?" he chuckled. "Eh? Oh, sorry, was just strolling," she smirked.

Inuyasha scratched his head and felt something weird, but he ignored the foreign feeling, "You're weird sometimes." The girl's eyes widened, but then shrunk back to normal, "I know what you are but what am I?"

The two laughed as their voices filled the space, but that didn't take away the weird feeling from Inuyasha, nor did it for Kagome. "So, my mom's making dinner tonight! Something with noodles!" Inuyasha's eyes literally buldging out of his sockets. "Just noodles? Did you ask her to make that again?!" she giggled. The boy played with his fingers and then shook his head, "N-no! She wanted to, besides whatever, I love ramen noodles!"

"I know," Kagome laughed, "I know." Once again, the air began to thicken and time began to slow down; the atmosphere had become uncomfortable and not very pleasing. Inuyasha tilted his head slightly to the right, "Kagome, what's wrong? Did Buyo throw up on your toys again? Cause I swear I'll give that cat a piece of my-" "No," she said as she let out a small chuckle, "I wish it was though."

"Then what's wrong?" the boy kept pushing. Her cheeks began to look red and warm. Her head bent down to the floor, her bangs covering her eyes and casting a shadow over her face. She looked at her fingers, moving them back and forth, side to side. She bit her lips and shook her foot, trying to get out the words, "I'm moving."

* * *

 **A/N:** Hey guys, hope you enjoyed this little bit! ^-^ I REALLY loved writing it.

So, if it wasn't clear, Inuyasha and Kagome are little kids in this, they're about seven years old right now in this and it's taking place in modern times.

Thank you _so much_ for reading and just being part of my life now, you're all so great! Stay tuned, cause it's not over yet :~)


	2. Nothing Lasts Forever

Definitions: {musuko-san: son | sutekina musume: (my) lovely daughter | kawaii chan: cutie | otosan/chichiue: father | jiichan: grandfather}

* * *

The tension did not just fill the air, it had completely exploded; enlarging the space between the two, making it seem like they were already worlds away from one another. Inuyasha opened his mouth in shock, but then closed it shut, biting his lips trying to prevent any signs of damaged emotions. He slowly placed his hands together on his lap, thinking to himself, Why? Why is this happening? The boy shuddered at the thought of having to spend his days indoors with his older brother whom despises him and his parents who don't exactly match his ideas of "fun."

Who would play hide-and-seek? Who will annoy Mr. Jaken with me? Who will save me when I'm in "danger" of him? Who will sit here, halfway with me? Who will pig out eating my mother's ramen noodles with me? Who else would listen to me? Make me laugh? Make me smile? Who? These thoughts swirled in endless loops around his mind for, what seemed to be, an eternity. Inuyasha fought back his tears and tightened his throat, clenching his teeth and fists as he felt a dark cloud hang above him.

"Inu?" He unclenched. "I'm not moving for a couple of days, so at least we still have some time!" Kagome pulled herself towards the boy and gave him a little smirk - a smirk that caused Inuyasha's mouth to curl upwards a bit too.

"Man, this sucks!" he huffed, folding his arms together and pouting his bottom lip. Then, he paused for a second. He stared at the left side of the rock formation until his eyebrow plopped right up, creating a mischievous grin to go along with it. "You know what?" Kagome's head tilted slightly to the right almost as if to say Eh? "I'm NOT letting you move!"

Inuyasha jumped up with hype and confidence, almost hitting his head on the solid, rock-hard roof. He paced around back and forth with a couple of steps while simultaneously alternating between scratching his head and stopping to tap his foot: How can I stop her from moving?.

Meanwhile, the girl stared at the boy with big eyes, He really doesn't want me to move, huh? She felt herself crack a little smile and giggled a bit. However, the bitter realization began to settle in, and her vision began to become blurred and water soon filled her eyes. "'gome!" He rushed to her side and placed a hand gently on her shoulder, "Hey… Don't cry… You know I hate it when you cry… If you cry, then I start to get-" Water began to creep out of Inuyasha's eyes, but he shook his head vigorously to get rid of it.

"Keh!" He spat as he rubbed Kagome's shoulder. "You're not going anywhere." The girl smiled and proceeded to stand up as the boy followed her movements. "Come on!" Inuyasha demanded as he grabbed Kagome's hand and ran at, what she thought, 100 miles per hour. The mischievous grin had came back as his facial expression once again, but this time, it also look like he had a plan.

The leaves flew opposite of the direction the children were running in. The boy's white-light silver hair flowing in the wind and the girl's pigtails doing the same, just with less freedom. The kids' houses weren't far apart at all; they resided right across from each other. However, at this moment in time, it seemed to be a distance far traveled. The suspense of what was to happen to the two prolonged the venture from Inuyasha's house to Kagome's; neither one knew how to handle the situation or what to do to change the outcome. All they knew was that they didn't want to lose each other.

"Mama!" Kagome yelled as she pounded on the door. Her house was much more modern; it had a simple off-white color with a eggshell white door and a black frame to match. The first three concrete steps lead up to another set of wooden stairs, surrounded by white railings that created a little terrace at the top of the steps. Her mother peeped out of one of the two black-framed windows that rested alongside the door. As the knob began to jiggle, Inuyasha threw himself in front of Kagome. "Hey, Inu! That's not nice!" The boy turned to face her, placing his index finger on his lips, mentally saying Shhh.

Kagome's mother greeted the children with a sweet and gentle smile, "Hello sweetie! Hi Inuyasha! How was hide-and-see-" Her mother froze when she saw the boy clench both his fists and bring it up to his chest. "YOU CAN'T MOVE AWAY!" he pleaded; his eyes gleaming with fear and uncertainty. Kagome mumbled his name under her breath as she reached out for his hand. Inuyasha didn't flinch at the feel of her touch.

"Oh… musuko-san…" He let his head down and talked to the floor because he couldn't face what her mother might have to say next. She smiled, and bent down to his level; taking her hand and placing it gently underneath his chin, slowly lifting up his head to meet eye-to-eye. "Come on in, it's time for dinner."

Inuyasha eased his tensions and nodded his head in agreement, following her mother into the house. Kagome loosened her grip on his hand and traded it in for a light hug just to let her friend know, It's going to be okay. He smiled at her and gave a slight head nod before getting distracted by her chubby, orange and white cat. "Buyo!" He squealed in excitement as he began to chase after the cat who had no interest in being hung upside down for the tenth time this week.

The inside of the house didn't have much space, but it served its purpose. The stairs were placed in the far right side of the living room, against the wall and was, basically, right in front of the door. A light grey couch rested on top of a dark multicolored rug which covered about less than half of the living room floor. A low, wide black coffee table shared the space with the couch while black bookshelves and small cabinet-drawers covered the right wall of the room. A huge flatscreen TV was hung up against the wall, right above the small cabinet drawers that contained many miscellaneous objects.

Kagome left the space of the living room in which Inuyasha was carelessly lifting up Buyo and giggling in amusement. She proceeded through the opening that lead into the kitchen. Her mother stood at the countertop near the sink, preparing dinner.

"Mama?" Her mother turned to face her and averted her eyes downward to meet with her daughter's. "Yes, sutekina musume?" Kagome ruffled her green skirt as her foot drew little circles. The girl then shifted her eyes to Inuyasha; noticing how much he loved playing with Buyo and how much she loved playing with him. She looked back up at her mother with a frown, "Do we have to move?" Her mother, grinning, shrunk down to her height, brushing the baby hairs out of her daughter's face. "Kawaii chan… you know it's been really hard without your otosan and jiichan is getting older… It's just time." The girl sighed loudly, and before she could reply, she was already left alone.

"Dinner time!"

The wide circular table was covered in all of Mrs. Higurashi's specialties: onigiri, katsudon, oyakodon, nigiri-sushi, anban, and - Inuyasha's favorite - ramen. Normally, she'd make some type of curry-based dish, but Inuyasha always loathed the smell and the taste, causing him to leave in a haste due to disgust. Kagome would then be upset for the rest of the night and would refuse to leave her room; her mother figured it was because her daughter hated when Inuyasha leaves without saying bye.

Mrs. Higurashi took her place at the head of the table; jiichan taking a seat opposite of her and Kagome and Inuyasha claimed the remaining two, sitting across from one another. The boy didn't hesitate to hog the ramen. Jiichan gazed in amazement and mouthed, Wow, as he stared at him literally devour his food. Kagome followed jiichan's gaze and giggled, Inuyasha feeling her stare. He lifted his head with bits of food all over his stuffed cheeks, "Oh sorry," he lifted the leftover ramen, "The noodles are awesome! You guys need to have it!" The girl snickered amongst herself once again.

"Oh! Musume," Kagome's mother said breaking the silence. "Have you gotten to what I told you to do?" Kagome shook her head and looked down at her plate, playing with her food in distress. Inuyasha, whilst stuffing his face, viciously put down his utensils after realizing what Mrs. Higurashi meant. "Why are you moving?! Isn't there something I can do?!" he spat, sending bits of food across the table. "I'll stop lifting Buyo in the air and hanging him upside down! Even though it's really fun… But ANYTHING to keep you all here!" His voice softening after every word and gradually brought his head down, "Please… Kagome's my bestest friend."

Kagome stared at Inuyasha with big eyes, slowly breathing, "Inuyasha…." She understood how hard it's been for mama ever since chichiue had passed and how jiichan's age didn't make it any easier. Inuyasha was her bestest friend too, but she knew she had to move for mama's sake. "Inu… You're my bestest friend!" she smile, reassuring the boy. "But-"

"But?!" he shouted with anger. "Are you trying to tell me you want to move? You WANT to leave me?!" Mrs. Higurashi and jiichan stayed silent; both because they didn't know what to say and they didn't know how to comfort the boy. Her mother and jiichan exchanged looks of, Yikes, this doesn't sound good and maybe that wasn't the best thing to say. "Inu, no!" Inuyasha jumped up, "Fine. I'll make it easier for you; WE'RE NOT FRIENDS ANYMORE." He made his way towards the door without hesitation, never looking back. Kagome…., he thought to himself, but that didn't stop him.

Kagome's eyes immediately filled with sadness, fear, and guilt. Streaks of water travelled so quick from her eyes to her chin that she couldn't even stop it if she wanted to. She clenched her fists and bit her bottom lip, but that didn't help at all. The tears weren't stopping; she slid out of her chair, storming through the living room and up the stairs, rushing to her bedroom as she closed the door behind her. The girl leaped into her bed, grabbing her pillow and letting it soak up all her tears. Inuyasha….

* * *

"Kagome! Wake up! It's time for school!"

The sun's light shone through the curtains so easily it practically hurt. Morning already? I rubbed my eyes trying to wake myself up a bit. As I slowly sat up, I tried to remember what made me fall asleep so early and why were my eyes so puffy? My attention moved towards the far rightfully ht corner of my room; stacks of boxes were piled onto each other, leaving my room, basically, already more than half empty. As I scanned my the rest of my mirror, my eyes glued to a picture that was, poorly, taped onto my mirror: it was me and Inu.

I grabbed the picture and admired how we looked so….happy; Inuyasha was pulling his mouth wide-open, letting his tongue hang and I wore mama's gigantic sunglasses, which made my face look like a peanut, sticking out my tongue and held up two fingers trying to make Inu look like a bunny, even though he already had ears.

"Kagome?! Are you dressed yet?" I yelped out of freight, and walked quickly towards my closet: a white long sleeve with a green collar, red tie, white knee-high socks, little brown shoes, and a green skirt to match. I quickly dressed myself with my signature uniform; hopping on foot to get the other sock on and then hopping on the other to get my shoes on. I walked over to the mirror and smirked at myself as I frantically brushed my hair, "Inuyasha, I'm NOT losing a friend like you!"

* * *

I jumped out of the car as quickly as I could. "Bye-bye Mama! Bye-bye jiichan!" I knew Inuyasha was already at school because his parents always dropped him off early - sometimes he would be the first one there and he hated it. He always gets worked up over the littlest things, but I always find it so funny and silly. He hated that too.

Once I finally reached the front of the school, I forced the doors open and ran right past it. I flew down the hallway; my hair going in one solid direction and my skirt following its flow. I heard a few call-outs of "Kagome!" and "Kagome-chan!" but I ignored it, I had to get to Inuyasha, where was Inu?!

After, what seemed to be, miles of running, I finally reached my classroom and peaked inside of it before going it: Inu? No. INU? No.. Inu?! Oh gosh, no. I couldn't find him. He usually sat in the seat right next to mine while aggressively coloring or drawing on an innocent white piece of paper. Or sometimes he would try talking to my other friends, like Yuri, Eri, and Ayumi, but he wasn't quite as comfortable with them as he was with me.

I searched the tables, the sensei's desk, and even the play area: Is he really not here? I plopped down onto the playmat and buried my head in my arms. The kids near me paid no mind to me, as they were too busy playing with the new toys sensei bought for us.

KEH! I immediately lifted my head from my sorrows. "Eh?" I mumbled to myself. I brought myself back up and made my way towards the sound of the noise. I made my steps slow and light, trying not to let whoever - made that noise - know I'm approaching. I stood at the tips of both my feet to allow myself to peep over the semi-tall bookshelves. "INU!"

"Huh?" His arms flailed to the sky as I tackled him to the ground. I felt my cheeks tense up after realizing how big of a smile had came upon my face. His glistening golden eyes were open wide in either amazement or fear. His facial expression screamed, How did you find me?! And why are you on top of me?!

I threw myself back onto him and squeezed him tightly, "Inu! I missed you so much!" He felt tense. I wasn't satisfied with, what seemed to be, his response, but that didn't make me let go. I gripped him tighter and squeezed him harder, I'm not going to lose you. He suddenly felt calmer and returned my hug; gripping me even tighter.

"H-How…" he stuttered, "How'd you find me?" I giggled at his silly question. It seemed that it didn't cross his mind that our classroom wasn't the best hiding place. "I heard your little 'KEH!' and just had a feeling it was you. I know my best friend."

His face grew pink and he turned his head. "Why are you back here anyways? You hate reading! Is that why you made your little noise?" I nudged him. He let out a small laugh and that gave me a sigh of relief. He reached for the book that was left on the other side of him, The Ugly Duckling.

"Say… 'gome?" He inched towards me more. He looked down at the book and traced the outline of the "ugly" duckling. I had heard of the story before, but not the entire thing. To be honest, all I knew was that there was a little duckling who the other ducks thought was ugly. Hopefully, Inu isn't thinking that he's ugly, or a duckling.

Instead of sharing his words he proceeded to show me the story within the book. He flipped through the pages, one by one, slow enough to make sure I was able to read it. The duck was really small, but not ugly at all. The other ducks didn't like him so they made fun of him and left him all alone. The poor duck ventured off by himself, just sad and alone. Why is this a kid book?!

Then Inu finally reached the final page; the duck had grown up into a beautiful swan. "Inu…What is it?" He smirked at me and began to refer to the pictures in the book, "When you move… This will be me: sad and alone."

He flipped to the last page, "I just want you to know that being your best friend, doesn't make me feel sad, alone, or ugly, because I know I'm not," I couldn't help but giggle, "But, being your best friend makes me feel happy. As happy as the ugly duckling when he turned into a beautiful swan."

I felt the water works coming again. I wiped them away as quickly as I could, because everyone hates it when someone cries in class; sometimes it's just really annoying. Before I could even tell him how I felt he stopped me, "Meet me halfway later?!" My mouth curved up into a smile, "Mmhm!"

* * *

And so I waited. I waited, I waited, I waited. Did Inuyasha forget? I began to wonder, but then it became clear to me, Nah, he wouldn't forget.

I looked around the little cave to make the time go by. It wasn't nearly the size of a normal cave, but it did have some depth to it. The roof, the walls, the floor all shared the same rocky, slightly-pointed, concrete texture. I wonder how this even formed in his backyard?

"KA-GO-ME!" He just loved saying my name like that, but I hated it, which made him love it even more. I peeped my head out of halfway. "Here I am!"

Inuyasha, a little startled, stepped back less than an inch backwards, keeping his grip on something he held in his right hand. I eyed it for a moment before Inu started huffing and puffing, "Hello! Look 'gome! I brought you something!"

He rushed towards me; his white-silvery hair flowing in the wind and his attention was on nothing but me. His red outfit that he wore, practically everyday unless it was a special occasion, collected the wind in itself and caused him to look much, much pudgier. It was truly a sight to see.

"Close your eyes and put out your hands!" I hesitated, giving him a curious and suspicious look. He is my best friend, and I do now what he's capable of. "'Oh my gosh, 'gome! It's not a prank. Pinky promise." He held out his pinky and I wasn't hesitate to wrap mine around his.

As soon as I shut my eyes the object was at my touch. I felt it before re-opening my eyes; it was smooth and felt like tiny balls put together and… ouch! some mildly sharp.. Teeth? Fangs? I was puzzled for a couple of moments before finally concluding what it was, "Oh my… Inu! I can't take this, you wear it all the time."

He took a seat next to me and shook his head. "Which is why I'm giving it to you!" Eh? I reached for his forehead thinking he had a fever which would explain why he wasn't making sense, but nope, he was fine. "It's so you remember me, okay?"

My heart dropped. I hate this moving thing. I hate it. I hate it. I hate it. I hated how I was leaving my beautiful, awesome house. I hated how I had to leave my awesome school. I hated how I wouldn't be able to talk about boys and cooties with Yuri, Eri, and Ayumi anymore. I hated how I have to start all over. I hated how I was moving away from my best friend; the only boy, I decided, that didn't have any cooties.

"Th-Thank you…." I softly muttered. He took it from my hands and placed it on me - probably the absolute sweetest thing Inu has ever done for me, in all our seven years of existence / friendship.

"Remember when we first met?" Inuyasha scratched his head and thought about it for a good two minutes. "That's a trick question! We were literally just born and our mothers would always take us to each other's houses. All we did was spit and poop, probably."

I started laughing at the thought. I couldn't even remember when or what my first memory of Inuyasha was. I remember running around and playing tag in his backyard. I remember when he came over and saw Buyo for the first time, boy was that unfortunate. I remember fighting with him because he wanted us to play video games but I wanted to open my new barbies. I remember sitting with him in school; taking each other's crayons and blaming it on other people. I remember sitting next to him during story time, play time, and even nap time. I remember playing hide-and-seek for the first time, and then came the amazing Mr. Jaken. I remember all the times we escaped the world and came halfway. I remember all these things, and I wish, instead of just remembering, I would be looking forward to tomorrow so we could do these things again, but that wasn't the case.

"I'll come visit!" His ears moved in excitement as his mouth fell open and a smile grew on his face. "Really?!" He jumped up and squeeze me from above. I couldn't resist throwing my arms back around him. "Of course."

* * *

The day had come. The dreadful, dreadful day. The sun's ray of light didn't pain me nearly as much as having to move away from my best friend. I knew there was nothing that I could really do to stop it from happening, but gosh I wish there was. I wish Inuyasha and his family could just move away with me. That'd surely make life much easier. To think I'm only a seven year old, and I'm already stressing this much.

I dragged myself out of bed, miserably looking at the, now, completed stacks of boxes that were piled on one other. My room looked so lifeless and just dead, honestly. I was surprised Mama hadn't had my mirror taken away by the trucks already.

I, once again, became distracted by me and Inu's picture. The smiles, the laughter, the good times - all these things that described the moment in the picture made it worth a thousand words.

"Musume! The trucks are here! Come down, they'll get your boxes for you!" As I walked towards the door and bid my room a final farewell, I felt as though I was missing something.

I spun around; left, right, up, down. Everything seemed to be packed. Until, my attention was taken away for the last time, mmhm, that's right! I snatched the picture and went out the door.

I rushed down the stairs and couldn't ignore how empty it was. Nothing. There was nothing at all. No carpet, couch. TV, bookshelves. It was all stowed away, making this house look like a ghost town.

"Kagome! Kagome?! Kag-" Mama stepped right in front of me without even noticing. She could've trampled right on me without noticing until she's already done it.

"There you are musume! We don't have much time at all. There was something wrong with the trucks and now we have to be out within ten minutes," she didn't even blink. "So, get your things and go on and say your goodbyes to Inuyasha and his family….. I'm sorry kawaii chan" she said as she gently kissed my forehead.

Inuyasha….?

I bolted up remembering that it was time. I looked down to my neck, and held the prayer beads Inu had given me the night before. I felt myself blush at the gift.

As I busted the door open, ready to shout Inu's name, there he was. He wasn't dressed in his everyday red outfit - he had a white collared shirt with a grey long sleeve sweater over it. His dark blue jeans were held up by his tiny-waisted belt and wore black shoes to tie the outfit together.

"Inu…?" I scanned him from head to toe, he was smiling at me, but it wasn't out of happiness or excitement. He was just happy to see me. "How come you're all dressed up? You have a special thing today?! Tell me all about it before I have to leave!" I ran up in front of him.

He held one of his hands behind his back, keeping that mischievous smile on his face. "It's a special day today because you're starting a new life," he said it happily, yet with spite. His facial expression was smiling, but his distraught eyes said otherwise.

"Inu… no! I just… I wish I-" He pulled flowers from behind him. His smile now reached his eyes, making his cheeks all big and puffy; his expression so smug. I couldn't resist the beautiful pink texture and lovely scent, "Thank you, Inu. Seriously, for everything. Best friends forever," I slipped him the picture of us.

His mouth fell open, but no words came out. His eyes locked with mine and he just nodded in agreement, holding the picture to his chest. We shared our final hug; his grip tighter than ever and his squeeze the hardest it's ever been. Neither of us wanted to let go, but we knew we had to.

"I'll see you soon okay?" I made my way to the truck, basically forcing myself to walk away from him. I felt the tears working its way up, but I didn't do anything to stop it. I just stared at Inu for as long as I could. He was so happy for me, yet so sad for us, we didn't know what was going to happen or how to handle it.

I closed the door and slugged into my seat, continuously staring out the window waving goodbye to Inuyasha, his parents, and his brother. As the the truck proceeded to drive further away, Inu began to chase after it or me?

I pushed my face against the window mouthing, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" He then shot me that infamous, mischievous smirk and nodded his head as if he already knew that I'd know, "JUST REMEMBER, ALWAYS MEET ME HALFWAY!"

I nodded my head in agreement, as he knew, letting a tear roll down my face. I kept my stare with him until he was out of my vision.

* * *

It's been twenty years since I've played hide-and-seek, and it's not just because I'm now 27 years old and married, but because no one else played the game like her. No one else made me laugh as hard. No one else - pretended - to enjoy my mother's ramen noodles as much as I do just to make me happy. No one else made sure I always stayed out of trouble. Then when I did get in trouble, no one was ever so quick to be at my side. No one. But, that was then and this is now, and I'm married now. Besides, she probably wouldn't even remember me.


	3. The Reunion

**A/N:** Hey guys!? It's been awhile and I've been _ITCHING_ to get back at writing this! So, the rest of the story is going to be a more modern/everyone-has-an-actual-job-and-life AU, unlike the first two which were inukag childhood AUs. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did writing it! (ノ・ω・)ノ ❤ ❤ ❤

* * *

The birds were loud. The birds were so goddamn loud. They woke me up before I even had a chance to _attempt_ to sleep through my alarm clock, let alone come up with a lie to my wife about why I had to call in "sick" for work today.

Neither would've worked anyways; she's always on my ass about _stop being lazy_ and _you have to go to work today!_ Or sometimes she wouldn't say anything at all, she would just give me this look that made me both grunt and shiver at the same time. I hated it.

It was 5 o'clock in the morning, and the birds still wouldn't shut the hell up. I rubbed my eyes in several circular motions, praying that if I did it enough it could make thirty minutes pass by in a flash so that my excuse could be _I'm already late for work, what's the point of going?_

As I rubbed and rubbed, my eyes nearly falling off by now, I noticed that my wife was still sound asleep right beside me. Her black layered hair laid innocently on my bare shoulder. The light - yet still warm - blanket still in her favor, forcing most of the left side of my body to be exposed to the cool draft. I peeked over my head slightly above hers; her soft pink lips and dark brown eyes still closed shut. Her breathing was calm and steady. _Guess you're not waking up anytime soon huh?_

"I-Inu...yasha…" the woman grumbled in her sleep. I fidgeted at the sound of her voice. I repositioned myself from laying on my back to laying on my side, facing the opposite direction - trying to avoid confrontation. I shut my eyes so quick I felt like I almost shattered them to pieces. _That would've been a good reason to not go to work_. I felt her fuss and move in every-which-way before feeling her breath creep up on my bare back. I kept my eyes shut and violently thought to myself: _Don't say it, don't say it, don't say it_.

My ears flickered at the slight, yet very distinct sound of her licking her lips, preparing them to mumble the words I didn't feel like hearing. "Why aren't you up getting dressed for work?" She didn't even sound like she just woke up; she sounded like she had been laying there the entire time, awake, waiting for me to get up.

Her little hands nudged the middle part of my back - then when that didn't work, she proceeded to shake me and say my name until I had "awoken." "I know you're awake. You're not going to get out of work, silly." I viciously threw myself around to face her; her eyes already piercing into mine. "Shizuka, look," I " I smirked and pointed sharply at the alarm clock, "It's already 5:15. You know how long I take in the shower, especially to make sure my hair and ears look nice. By the time I'm done, _I'll already be late to work, so what's the point in going_?"

Her facial expression didn't change. I nervously ripped my eye contact from hers trying to think of a way to bribe her, or at least, get her to agree. "How 'bout..." I grabbed her hands, "You call out of work too! We can kick up on the couch, watch some TV, and eat some ramen, or whatever you prefer, but I hope you choose ramen. Okay? Great!"

With a kiss on the forehead and pitch of a playful smile, I jumped back to face the opposite direction and threw the remainder of the blanket over me. I hope she takes that offer. If she couldn't understand that then _Jesus_ , when will this woman ever understand me? Can't a man just spend a day at home for _once_?

The woman giggled; _she was giggling?_ Usually whenever I opposed to whatever she said or thought it was followed up with very loud yelling and me, ducking and dodging random flying objects. Oh, and her calling me "immature" and "childish." _Why did I marry her again?_

"Inuyasha, you always try to do this." She laid on her back now, as I remained facing the door. My ears were the only way I was going to hear what she had to say, "It's too early to argue, just. Go." Her attitude slapped me right across the face, and I was honestly tired of it. I pushed the blanket aside, hopping out of bed and embraced the cool draft sneaking in from the doorway.

"Keh. You're no fun, at all."

* * *

At least it wasn't too hot out. The heat burns up my hard hat so bad that I feel like it could easily resemble an all-around bruised banana and feel like hot coal. It also makes me sweat so profusely through my white beater and cargo pants; the heavy tanned Timberland boots I'm "advised" to wear doesn't help the cause either. And, you know, at least those damn birds quieted down. Don't get me wrong though, birds are cool and all, they just don't know when to shut their mouths. They can get so distracting sometimes when I'm on the high platform trying to nail in some wood.

"Hey boss!" Great, another thing I hated. I hated being called boss, I wasn't anyone's "boss," why is that even a thing? I sighed beneath my breath as I turned to face the voice behind me. _Oh, great_.

"Miroku, for the last time, I ain't your boss," I spat. He responded to my, casually, rude comment with a smile. _God, why does he always do this?_ "Can you quit giving me that creepy smile all the time?! It freaks me out!"

His mouth didn't even crack. He basically stood there, frozen, - in his light blue collared shirt, sleeves rolled up, buttons undone, fitted navy pants held by a black belt, pointy black shoes, and all - as if he was waiting for me to say something again.

I walked over to him and knocked on his hard hat, "Knock _*thud*_ it _*thud*_ off _*thud*_ " Before I was able to retreat and get in my well-deserved laughs, he took grip of my arm and pounded his damned clipboard against my head. "Dammit Miroku! I'll-" My words were stopped by the hand that he pushed up against my face, "Now, now Inuyasha, let's not get testy."

As I took a step back and brushed off my head - to prevent myself from punching this guy in his face - he had, without hesitation, ignored the concept of personal space and was right in front of my face. I swore I could hear his thoughts about how to _royally_ piss me off even more.

"So, Inuyasha, this is the agenda for the day," He smiled as he went through pages and pages and pages of work only _I_ had to do. His words left his mouth faster than I could ever think. I was only able to understand sounds that seemed to make up, "wood," "nails," "hammer," and "hard hat." My concentration faded the more and more he spoke. "Got it?"

I lifted the giant pile of wood that laid right beside me onto my right shoulder, "I ain't an amateur you know." Despite my rude remark, he shot me back that damn creepy smile. He was so odd, but quite honestly, he was the only guy at work who would talk to me, let alone approach me. I guess he ain't _that_ bad. However, if I was gonna befriend the guy, he has _got_ to lose that smile.

* * *

After finally finishing the hell Miroku had - probably intentionally - assigned me, I forcefully sat all my weight down onto the sidewalk. I felt disgusted as I wiped the sweat from my forehead and noticed the amount of dirt, and whatever the hell else, had accumulated on my… tan… yellowish… beater?

My stomach growled and immediately reminded me what time it was. I took off my thick gloves and placed it in my back pocket; rubbing my hands against either side of me as a method of "cleaning." As I moved my hands in a vertical motion, I contemplated on what I wanted type of food I felt like devouring today.

Eh, who was I kidding? I went to the ramen restaurant.

* * *

The odd aroma hit my nose and caused my head to lurk around. It was completely spaced out; The walls were green and was furnished with vintage-like tables, chairs, and purple or green couches. People sat down with books or laptops or coffee mugs. _Coffee mugs?_

I expected the place to look more traditional. You know - black tables, chairs, unique japanese designs on the wall? I expected teacups, giant plates, the clanking of silverware, and that one person _horribly_ failing at using chopsticks. But it wasn't that at all. _Sheesh, America is weird_.

I took another whiff of the place and sucked in the sweetness of sugar, cream, and coffee beans. _Shit, how'd I go to the wrong place?!_ I awkwardly scratched my head as I spun around and made my way back towards the entrance. The smell of coffee and creamer made my head want to explode.

As I gently pinched my nose and reached for the door, there stood a woman, ready and anxious to step right through it. She nearly squashed me with the door by pushing it the same time I viciously torn it open. I was ready to open my mouth and tell off this idiot, but I looked again.

Her black bangs dangled right above her big brown eyes. The wavy ends of her hair barely covered her shoulders; revealing part of her bare skin that was between her light green tank top and tanned cardigan that ended slightly above her knees. Her ripped jeans revealed picky parts of her legs, leaving some space between those and all-white sneakers.

"Kag...om..e..?" Chills rushed down my spine when her eyes met mine, almost making me forget how to stand. I wanted to let my mouth drop open and suck in some oxygen because _gosh_ did she leave me breathless. I tried to gather together my mind, and think of what to say, but all letters, vowels, consonants, had escaped me.

"Inu…" She squinted at me, and I swear I began to lose consciousness. "INUYASHA!" She threw her arms around my neck and I stood there, frozen. I had to literally force myself to lift up my arms and wrap them around her waist. _She was so soft_.

As her arms tightened around my neck, I gave her a little squeeze. My head was buried in her silky hair and I didn't mind it at all. I took in her scent; yes, I know that sounds so weird, but she smelled exactly how I remembered - like fresh cherry blossoms on the first day of spring - well sometimes she smelled like apple juice and animal crackers, but that was only some of the times, besides we were only seven.

"Inuyasha! What are you doing here?" She was so happy; her smile reached up to her eyes. She really hadn't changed at all. "Hey! that's my line," I felt my mouth curve up without my control. My cheeks began to feel warm, I reached up to pretend to scratch it.

She giggled, and gosh did it sound so precious. _What's wrong with me? Why am I so taken away by Kagome? I mean… It's just Kagome…_ "I just moved here for my new job!" I was speechless. I always knew she was destined for greatness; yes, I know I don't even know _exactly_ what her job is yet, but I'm already _so damn proud of her_.

I didn't notice how long I failed to fill the silence before I felt her tugging on my arm and motioning towards a nearby empty table. I shyly nodded my head in agreement and followed the direction of her pull.

Sitting across from her, I couldn't help but take all of her in; her big brown eyes, the way her mouth curved, the genuinity of her smile, how straight her posture was, the way her hands playfully flirted with the other… just everything was worth taking in.

I got lost in her. But what surprised me more is that she hadn't forgotten me.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hope you enjoyed this! I surely can't wait to write what's next! :D

Just to clarify, _yes_ Shizuka is Inuyasha's wife. Inuyasha and Miroku are construction workers, and this takes place in New York City!


	4. Did We?

**A/N:** This is relatively longggggg, but I FINALLY DID IT and nonetheless, ENJOY! ^o^

* * *

"Do you believe in soul mates?"

She fiddled with her fingers once more. She sounded nervous, yet she looked so calm; her brown eyes were glistening with both joy, and curiosity. Her hands rested beneath her chin for support as she gave me the most beautiful smile. Her mouth started moving again, but it was inaudible because I was just so _damn_ captivated by her and the way she was - until she flicked me on the forehead.

"O-Oi! What was that for?!" I questioned as I gently rubbed where she had inflicted pain. She covered her mouth as she giggled. Her eyes were closed and I could hear her little snickers escaping from her. "Eh?! 'gome! What's so funny now?!"

She opened her eyes and locked in with mine; I could feel the tension build between us. For me, it seemed like it was getting so _damn_ hard to breathe, _why can't I breathe?_ "Inu…" She muttered, "You haven't changed a bit."

I felt my heartbeat change its rhythm to imitate a drum roll. _Is that good? Is that bad?_ The silence was now killing me and her cute giggles and snickers weren't going to be able to fill in the void. I needed to know what she meant. I took a quick, yet subtle deep breath as I gathered up my confidence, opened my mouth, ready to speak, but was interrupted:

"Inu...yasha… I'm in love with you."

Then the alarm clock rang. And it was nothing but a damn dream.

* * *

I was pissed. I was infuriated. _Is my mind really that messed up?!_ I didn't understand. I couldn't understand. The whole thing seemed so real; her laughs, her smiles, her eyes, the air, the pressure, the tension, the sweaty hands, the chatter, her voice. How could _none_ of that be real?

What, probably, irritated me the most was the fact that I didn't know if _that_ Kagome was telling the truth about the _real_ Kagome, leaving the dreaded question: _was she really in love with me?_

I stared at the ceiling, contemplating all the what ifs. I pondered amongst the white, slightly cracked ceiling. Its paint went in every type of direction and created different swirls of spheres and circles. The paint job looked sloppy, but that somehow made it look good. It was perfectly imperfect.

I tossed onto my right side, raising my hands behind my head - which is when I noticed. The white-flowery curtains did not belong to me. The light green walls were never a feature of my room. I didn't remember owning beige drawers nor allowing flowers into where I sleep. The scent was different. The atmosphere was different. _It_ was different.

Slowly panicking, I tried to take a deep breath and calm myself: _Maybe that damn Shizuka decided to piss you off by "changing up" your room_. That thought actually worried me more. I angrily threw myself to face the other side, nearly crushing whatever was right beside me, _what the hell?_

Black hair, soft glistening skin, small smirk, cherry blossom scent…. "KA-GO-ME?!"

"Eh?" She lifted up her head from the burrows of the pillow; only to face me and make her eyes grow so big I thought they were going to fall out. Her mouth fell open as she jumped up to cover herself - even though she was fully clothed - and screeched at the top of her lungs, "O….OSWARI!"

Before I even had time to think - _WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!_ \- she shoved me off the bed and I was immediately face-to-face with the floor. I let my face embrace the wooden floors because, quite frankly, I didn't know what the hell to do next. I heard her squirm around on the bed, her breathing was heavy, yet her focus was still on me.

"Wh-what are you doing here?!" I jumped back up onto my feet, insulted by her accusation and implication that this was somehow _my_ fault. "What am I-?!..." I noticed I was shirtless. _Wonderful_. "Why don't you tell me?"

Neither of us said anything. We just didn't know how to answer each other. It got quiet, real quiet. It got boy-are-we-in-some-type-of-shit quiet. I didn't know what to think: _Why am I here? Did we do … "stuff"? Why is my shirt off? What the hell happened last night? Were we drunk? Are we together? What. Is. Happening?!_

"I don't know…" she kept the covers close to her face; it was difficult not to notice how flushed she looked. Before I could even comment on her tomato-looking face, she continued her thought, "But I do know… This is somehow _YOUR_ fault!" Her head flew to the other direction as she closed her eyes and silently, but sharply, hummed _HMPH!_ Now I was wishing I interjected with a tomato-face comment.

I clenched my fists and raised my brows, "How…..IS IT MY FAULT?!" A rush of wind suddenly slapped me in the face and startled me, loosening up my defensive stance. My first instinct was that it was a window allowing a harsh breeze in from the outside, but nope - it was Kagome.

Her once fragile, innocent, and harmless looking self had transformed into something aggressive, serious, and - quite frankly - _pretty damn scary_. Her body was pressed up against mine; I felt her heart beating at a rate that made me think it was going to pop out of her any single second now. I felt her heat seep through her thin clothes and against my bare chest.

I didn't even notice she held her index finger up to my chin - like a threatening knife - until she viciously poked me in the throat. "YOU WERE ALWAYS SO RECKLESS!" Her chest developed a rapid pattern, "YOU'RE HARD-HEADED, STUBBORN, PRIDEFUL-"

"AND WHAT ABOUT YOU HUH?!" I shoved her against the wall behind us; it wasn't hard enough to hurt her, but it was hard enough to at _least_ lower her tone. I trapped her with my arms up against the wall, right above her head; she was so tense. "YOU NEVER TRIED TO LIVE A LITTLE! YOU WERE ALWAYS LIKE, 'We can't do that!' or 'We'll get in trouble!' I WANTED TO LIVE LIFE WITH MY BEST FRIEND, 'GOME!"

Her mouth fell open, and she averted her eyes away from mine. _Was I too harsh?_ "'gome… I-" "Inu...yasha…," my name fell softly from her lips. The heat from her aggression and frustration had, somehow, evaporated from her body. I locked in once again with those brown, chocolate eyes and my arms loosened from above her. "You haven't changed a bit."

I shook. I was shaking. My arms were rocking side to side, but I didn't want to disable my trap. I felt sweat drip down from my scalp, to my forehead, and all the way down to my chin, reaching to the bare floor. _Is this like my dream? Is she going to say what I think she is?!_

She gently ran her hand a short route across my chest, "Look…" My heart began to race. Her smile reached her eyes, _could this be it?_ "HOW 'BOUT…," _Eh?_ "... we call Sango and ask her what happened!" She lowered her voice, "... I vaguely remember talking to her last night.." _Well, that was unexpected_.

I retreated my arms back to my side and took a step back from her. Her facial expression looked as confused as I was. "Woah, woah," my hands reached forward signaling a 'halt,' "Who's 'Sango'?"

"Oh! She was my college roommate. She's really funny, kind, and sweet… But she could _totally_ kick your ass, or anyone's, if needed. I love her." Kagome's mood had gone from _I'm-going-to-kill-you-with-my-own-bare-hands_ to, well, herself. Her kind, gentle, loving self. But just the fact that she switched up between moods within five minutes made my hands kind of tremble.

She made her way around me and back towards the bed; fixing the linens and blanket to make it seem like no one had even slept there. As she patted down the bedding, she turned back around to face me, "AND…" She came inches closer to me, "She's single!"

I felt as though a thousand question marks physically popped up above my head, "Hate to break it to you… but this dog's off the market." I brushed my shoulders off as if there was some dust resting on them, and Kagome didn't hesitate to stick out her tongue in disgust. Her fake vomiting then turned into a realistic look of panic. Her eyes widened and she viciously ran her hands through her hair, back and forth in an aggressive manner.

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!" She was pacing in every single direction, I tried to reach for her arm to slow down her rotation, but I would just grab air. She repeated the same three words for, what seemed to be, hours, but it was actually just about ten seconds.

"'gome! What's wr-" "WHAT'S WRONG?! WHAT'S WRONG?!" Her body was flung against mine once again, but this time it was simply making it difficult for me to breath, "Y-Yes...What's wro-" Her hands were glued on to my face; she squeezed and tugged without any consideration of how potentially damaging it. "I'M ENGAGED!"

She shoved her hand so close to my face I couldn't tell whether it was a diamond ring or a giant prickly needle that was stabbing my right eye. I was thankfully spared of my sight when she pulled away from me and went for her phone that was on the nightstand:

"WE ARE FINDING OUT WHAT HAPPENED RIGHT _NOW_ "

* * *

As I listened to the call attempt to go through, I felt my head throb more after every ring and my sweat multiply after each pause. A million thoughts swirled through my mind; I honestly wasn't sure if I was more afraid of jeopardizing my marriage with Shizuka or my friendship with Kagome. I noticed Kagome's hand was unable to stay still as she held the phone, and she chomped on her fingers after each ring.

When the ringing stopped and we were greeted with a warm, "Hello?" we froze.

"Kagome? Anyone home?" Silence. Dead silence. "Okay then, guess I'm going to have to come over the-" "SANGO!" Kagome immediately shouted out at the phone, almost as if it was a reflex. She pretended to wipe off sweat from her forehead, mentally telling me: _Geez, that was a close one_. I nodded in agreement as I made my way to the bed because _shit_ I didn't know if I could stand to hear this.

She paced back and forth as she held the phone just inches away from her ear. "Say… Sango… Do you think you can tell me what happened last night?" Kagome furiously shut her eyes and crossed her index and middle finger, anxious to hear her friend's reply. "Are you kidding me?! Why don't _YOU_ tell me what happened last night… AGAIN!"

Kagome looked at me then back at her phone, then back at me and towards her phone again. I felt more sweat and head throbbing and I was not enjoying any second of it at all. I bit my lip and viciously shook my right leg, trying to get rid of my nerves - even though I knew that wasn't possible -, as she did that thing that looked like she was going to literally scratch her brains out.

"Wh-what do you mean….?" Her nervous laughter at the end was nowhere near comparison of how nervous we both actually were. "Sigh…" Sango breathed, "Fine, but only because I love you… and this story."

* * *

 **21 hours ago - 12:16 PM**

"So… What brings you to 'The Big Apple'?" Inuyasha threw up quotation marks for emphasis as well as a smile to ease - his own - mind. Kagome giggled at the silliness of it; fixing her bangs prior to proceeding with her answer. "I'm sorry… what?"

The boy scratched his head, afraid that he may have just, somehow, embarrassed himself, "...Is that not what people call New York City?!" He gave a little pout and the girl offered him a small smirk. "I wouldn't know!" Sweat was now forcing its way down Inuyasha's forehead, but he wiped it away before it even had a chance.

"O-Oh…Me either!" He was so nervous. The poor boy was so nervous. He tried to smile and laugh his jitters off, but none of that did a single thing. After a few awkward words, he was already mentally bashing his head into a wall, creating a discerning look on his face.

" _KEH! I know it's called the 'Big Apple'" "Oh, Inuyasha…..be quiet. Sango, please continue."_

Kagome was able to distinguish his uneasiness right from the get-go, so she decided to make things more comfortable for him and answer what he had tried to ask. "I'm a doctor! I was offered a better salary from a hospital, right here, in New York than at my other job in California. I had my share of sunshine for the last….Twenty...years? Wow, yeah. And I decided it was time to come back home to the east coast!"

Inuyasha was staring at her in amazement. He looked like he was literally taking every single letter, word, and syllable that the girl had spoke and let it just soak into it so that he would be able to fully understand and listen to what she was saying. His golden eyes were shimmering with adornment and his ears twitched at the girl's voice.

"Well, Inu…," she placed her hand on top of his, "YOUR TURN!" She giggled like a child, but he chuckled like a hyena; high-pitched and unpleasant. He played with a coaster on the table before finding the words to speak, "Well, obviously, this is where we were born and uh, after you moved away I thought, 'Hey, one of us might as well stay,' and so I d-" he cleared his throat, "-id. After college, I was in a lot of debt so I had to find a good paying job: a construction worker. Annnnnd, I'm still repaying it to this day."

What was supposed to be a twenty-thirty minute talk turned into a three hour conversation. Despite Inuyasha's unshakable nerves in the beginning, one topic had led to another, and another, and another. After discussing the working life, the two revisited the past and reminisced on their days as little rugrats:

"Remember when Reo told you you couldn't eat ALL the crayons in the box?! You wanted to punch him in the face, but I stopped you from that. Then, you got mad at me for trying to 'protect him' and went on to eat all the crayons. I tried to stop you from that, but I'm kinda glad you didn't listen to me."

"That damn Reo had it coming! Everyone thought he was sooooo cool, especially because he had the rarest action figures and would bring them to show and tell… KEH! My pet flea kicked those action figures' butts. But, you gotta admit: 24 crayons? I wasn't backing down!"

"Yeah, it was tough to tell your parents though… I felt so guilty!"

"Hey, you were with me every night in that hospital; from dusk to dawn, black crayon to white crayon. You were there, and… umm… I really appreciated that."

" _You know as a seven year old, those crayons were like ramen to me." "Yes, Inuyasha, WE GET IT." "Sheesh, someone's cranky."_

Then proceeded to share about their teenage years:

"Nope."

"Yeah, not happening."

Which inevitably lead up to the big question:

"Say… 'gome… Are there any jerks I need to beat the hell up?"

Inuyasha continued to play with the coaster as he anxiously awaited for her answer. The shop was quiet - too quiet. It seemed as if everyone else in the place was waiting to hear what the girl had to say too. Kagome gave an uneasy and shook smile. She looked down at her hands while Inuyasha continued to look at her, watching her movements.

She giggled before she spoke, "Oh, Inu… You always had my back!" She lifted her head to meet his stare and offered a friendlier, more stable smile. "But uh…," she fiddled with the ring on her finger, "This guy doesn't need to be beaten up… And he certainly isn't a jerk." Her awkward chuckle attempted to break through the thick air.

"O-Oh! … Oh…," He tried to smile back but he couldn't quite get his face to form it. Instead, he maneuvered his eyes to look at everywhere and everyone except Kagome.

He noticed the couples; behind them, next to them, across from them. He noticed how happy they were; laughing smiling, holding hands. He tightened his grip on the coaster, trying to not let the hopes of being with the girl of his dreams slip away. It wasn't long before he noticed at how dry of a reaction he gave to Kagome, "I mean, OHHHH! He better be a good guy, I sure as hell won't hold back from beating up a jerk, keh!"

" _Inuyasha's always so prideful…" "I know what you are but what am I?!" "Inu, at least I know I'm not a five year old" "I kNoW I'm NoT A FiVe YeAr OlD" "Classy, Inuyasha, real classy."_

"Besides," he continued, "I'm off the market too." He wiggled his ring finger around; something he honestly forgot he had on. The two grinned at each other. Both were hesitant of what to say next because what could they say next? The coffee shop remained quiet, the boy and girl soaking in each other's presence and what everything has come to.

Kagome cleared her throat, "That's great! Oh, Inu that's so great!" She seemed so genuinely happy for him. She grabbed his hand and admired the wedding band that was wrapped around his finger; shiny and gold. Inuyasha stared at her in confusion, unsure if she was genuinely happy or was just trying to be genuinely happy. "How'd you meet your guy?"

"Well, his name's Itsuki! I met him in college at some party that Sango basically dragged me to. He's really sweet, kind, and can be cocky sometimes. But cocky as in a he-did-anything-and-everything-to-win-me-over type of way. He would always invite me out or show up at my dorm, and no matter how many times I gently told him I wasn't looking for anything, he kept budging. And so I budged." It was a cute story, a really happy story in fact, but there was something about the way Kagome told it that convinced Inuyasha otherwise.

The boy laughed and smiled, "Wow. He, uh, sounds like a great guy." But he didn't say anything about it.

"How about the Mrs.?!" Kagome nudged him as she asked the question in an upbeat tone. Inuyasha scratched his head and let out a breath, "I, um… I met Shizuka in college too. She was in my Weapons History class-" The girl interrupted, "They have classes like that?!"

Inuyasha laughed and couldn't seem to rip away from her stare, "Yeah! Well… At least my college they did." She nodded in satisfaction, "Anyways, she would always ask for my notes and I would always ask for hers, and it just kind of became a normal thing. We got along perfectly, and I thought why not ask her out? One date became three and one month became a year…," he softened his voice, "We had so much in common." This was also a cute story, seemingly happy story, but the way Inuyasha finished it up convinced Kagome otherwise.

The girl giggled and gently patted him on his hand, "She, um, sounds wonderful." But she didn't say anything about it.

"'gome?" Inuyasha muttered lifting his gaze. "Whaddya say… We have one last hoorah?" Kagome shifted her weight forward to move closer to him. She tucked her hair behind her ears and pondered on the request. She tapped her chin with her finger, pretending as if she didn't already know her answer. This drove Inuyasha mad and made him impatient; his hands trembled and his brows twitched. "Let's do it."

* * *

Just before Sango had the chance to continue retelling what happened, I felt a vibration in my pocket. The ringing and vibration put together automatically irritated me and before it had another chance to annoy me I ripped it out of my pocket. As soon as I saw the caller ID "Miroku DON'T PICK UP," I came to realization that I never returned from my break yesterday.

"Shit! Miroku is calling me! Shit, shit, shit." I shouted as he paced back and forth and made it seem like his cell phone was a hot potato. "Miroku…?" Sango exclaimed as her voice faded from the call, "Honey?! You know Kagome's Inuyasha?"

I then shot a glare at Kagome, both confused by what was happening and by what Sango meant by " _Kagome's_ Inuyasha." Kagome's flustered expression indicated that maybe there was something that she wasn't telling me. However, before I had a chance to even attempt to joke about it, Miroku was speaking so damn loudly through my phone and vaguely through Kagome's.

"Ahh.. Inuyasha! So, how was last night?" I raised my brow as both Kagome and Sango said, 'Huhhhh?' in unison. "Hold it. One, what do you mean by that?! And two, why am I hearing you on Kagome's phone call with her friend Sango?!" I was confused. I was so freaking confused. "Sango, you mean my wife, Sango? Yes, you hear me here-" his voice faded from my call, "-and now you hear me here."

I felt as though my head was spinning and two monkeys were beating on my head with drumsticks. I assumed Kagome felt the same way because as soon as Miroku said what he said she slowly sunk to the floor with her mouth wide open in shock, but she somehow managed to speak, "B-But… Sango, I thought you were single? Whatever happened to that men-are-nothing-but-leechers-and-perverts mentality?!"

Sango laughter broke up over the connection on the call, "That was years ago, Kagome! Besides, remember I got married shortly after college? You were my maid-of-honor? Rememberrrrrrr?" Kagome nervously chuckled as she placed her hand on her forehead in embarrassment, "Ahhh… hahahahaha… Yes… I blocked that day out of my mind…," she interjected, "But not you getting married! Just uh… Something else, that's all."

 _Something else?_ "'gome, what do you me-" "BUT HOW COULD YOU-" Kagome smirked as she went into a whisper, " _How could you not tell me you actually knew Inuyasha?!_ " I heard Sango mumble an, "Err…" before she went full blast on Miroku through both mine and Kagome's phone, "HOW COME YOU DIDN'T TELL ME YOU KNEW KAGOME'S INUYASHA?!" _There it goes again_. "I DIDN'T KNOW INUYASHA WAS _THAT_ INUYASHA," Miroku fought back. "HOW COME YOU DIDN'T TELL ME YOU KNEW INUYASHA'S KAGOME?!" _Miroku… I'm going to kill you_. "I DIDN'T KNOW KAGOME WAS _THAT_ KAGOME," Sango insisted.

 _Shit. Shit, shit, shit._ I was shook. My mouth literally fell open because I just could not believe that Miroku blurted that out. " _Inuyasha's Kagome," now she's going to think something of it!_ I clenched my fists as I mentally punched Miroku repeatedly in the face. I took a deep breath, gathering all the oxygen I needed to tell him off, but then his voice returned to my call, "Inuyasha… Sorry about that." _He didn't seem sorry at all._ "But, to answer your question from before: I followed you."

"YOU FOLL-" "Now now, I know you want to kill me right now, but just hear me out." His soothing voice only made me want to kill him more, but I guess I had to let the guy explain because I _needed_ to what happened. "Keh, fine."

I could literally feel that idiot smiling at me through the phone, "Thank you. It was already around 3:15 PM, and our breaks are only supposed to be an hour. Inuyasha, you know I love you like a brother," _Shut up._ "But we needed you to come back to work. So, I walked towards the coffee shop you stumbled upon and saw you with a _girl_ -" "That was Kagome, honey."

Miroku literally yelped in excitement, "OOOOHHHHHHH, INUYASHA THAT IS-" "Shut up." Miroku cleared his throat, "Ah, um, yes. Anyways, So I followed you. And I saw everything." I looked at my phone then at Kagome with so much confusion and uneasiness I felt like my insides were going to implode. Kagome offered me a smile, almost as if to say everything was okay, - which was weird because I thought she wanted to rip out my guts any moment now - but that helped calm my nerves and unclench my fists.

"Sango dear," Miroku's voice more audible in Kagome's phone, "Why don't you continue the story?" Kagome furiously chomped on her fingers while I was consistently wiping the sweat from my face. "It would be my pleasure."

* * *

 **A/N:** PRAISE THE LORD I FINALLY FINISHED THIS. omg. It's been the struggle, but here it is ^-^

ALSO JUST TO CLARIFY:

1\. Inuyasha wakes up next to Kagome at 9 AM (hence 21 hrs ago)

2\. There is a constant change between a couple of hours ago and the present

3\. Within the flashback (i.e. 21 hours ago) the italics indicate what they're saying as Sango tells the story (i.e " _KEH! I know it's called the 'Big Apple'" "Oh, Inuyasha…..be quiet. Sango, please continue."_ )


	5. Batman & Robin

**18 hours ago - 3:33 PM**

The sun was high in the sky, and the city was so alive. Small herds of people were passing the two, but that didn't bother them at all.

"So, where to, Ms. Kagome?" Inuyasha blurted, nudging Kagome to go to the other side of him so he was the one to stay nearest to the road.

Kagome smiled at the sweet gesture, "Ms. Kagome?" She playfully punched his shoulder, "It's 'gome to you, Inu," she took a pause in her step, "I'm still me."

"Y-Yeah…," he nervously chuckled. "I know."

" _ANDDDD THAT'S WHERE I STEPPED IN"_

" _Miroku, what the hell are you talking about?"_

" _That was the exact point when I caught up to you and found out where you were after worrying sick about you is what I'm talking about."_

" _Oh. Alright hey man, I'm sorry I wor-"_

" _Your face was as red as a tomato."_

" _Miroku… you're just asking for me to beat you the hell up"_

" _Both of you shut up! Let Sango talk!"_

The two continued walking without mumbling another word for a few minutes. Inuyasha stole several glances at her while she, secretly, did the same.

"Inu?"

"Yeah, 'gome?" Inuyasha's cheeks became warm and pink in color.

"Since you've been living here waaaaay longer than me," she spoke, locking eye contact with him. "How 'bout you decide where we should go!"

Inuyasha cocked up a brow, "You know what?" He confidently grabbed Kagome's hand, "I know just the place."

* * *

 **12 minutes later - 3:45 PM**

"HA!" Inuyasha exclaimed with joy, releasing Kagome's hand. "We made it just on time."

Despite the fact that both of them were out of breath, after sprinting five and a half blocks, that didn't prevent them from taking in what was happening right before them.

The place was dark, but lit up with various bright neon lights. It was loud and smelled like sweat and dirty socks, but they were able to look past that.

The place was packed with people of various ages; twelve year olds to thirty year olds. Each of those people were geared up with dark black armored-looking vests with bright lights shining from it. They held huge guns either at their sides or kept it up to their chests; the excitement on their faces were indescribable.

"Inu… What… is this?" Kagome pondered as she scanned the dark lit room with a grin on her face. "Is this…"

"LASER TAG,'GOME" the boy repeated enthusiastically, emphasizing the syllables, "LA-SER TAG!"

Before the girl had time to express her priceless reaction, he grabbed her hand once again; dragging her to a giant chalkboard that was decorated in large neat writing and neon pink and green chalk:

LASER TAG TOURNAMENT: SINGLES, COUPLES, AND/OR TEAMS ARE WELCOMED! WINNER RECEIVES $100 AND PICTURE ON HALL OF FAME WALL

"Inu…" Kagome muttered. "I don't - I don't know… I never played laser tag before."

She crossed her arms and looked down in disappointment of herself. She couldn't help but notice, and admire, how excited, determined, and confident Inuyasha was about this tournament; she didn't want to let the boy down by being the first ones out.

Inuyasha's smile curved down to a empathetic smirk, "Feh! 'Gome, quit acting all down! Do you remember who were the best cop partners in cops-and-robbers?"

Kagome giggled and covered her face, "You… and me-"

"THAT'S RIGHT," Inuyasha proclaimed. "YOU AND ME. ME AND YOU" He rushed to go behind the girl's shoulder, "We single-handedly beat the hell out of those other seven year olds-"

"Umm, well, not literally," Kagome sarcastically acknowledged.

Inuyasha popped to her other shoulder, "Right… Not… Literally…" He winked smoothly with his right eye.

"You're so annoying," she mumbled beneath her breath.

" _But, am I really?"_

" _Yes."_

" _Yes."_

" _Yes."_

" _Thanks guys."_

Inuyasha raised and brow and returned right in front of her. He smiled in her direction and she shyly looked down, putting hair behind her ear.

"You're so annoying," the boy mocked.

"So would that be two for the lovely couple?" a man questioned behind him.

He wore a light gray v-neck shirt with an armored-vest above it, dark brown pants, and black shoes; his jet black hair a few inches above his waist. The two weren't sure if it was his uncomfortable you-two-make-such-a-good-couple look or his question that made both of them blush.

"Woah woah," Inuyasha quickly spun around. "W-We are not - are not a couple," he nudged the girl beside him. "Right, uhh… 'gome….?"

Kagome forced her dropped jaw to close, "PFFT! As if we'd be a-" she made an awkward prolonged set of gestures, "-c-couple?! Yeah okay, Na-rack-oo."

"It's Naraku. Nah-rah-ku."

"Whatever you say, Na-rack-oo," Inuyasha squeaked, his voice cracking as he spoke.

" _You guys are sucha couple."_

" _Miroku, I will not hesitate to kill you."_

" _SUCH a couple."_

" _Sango-chan?! SERIOUSLY?!"_

Inuyasha and Kagome were trying so hard to ignore the fact that Naraku had called them a, "couple." The next few seconds were filled with Kagome repeatedly giggling nervously and breathing unevenly. Inuyasha, on the other hand, kept shouting:

"Me? And her?" his voice getting louder after each word. "ME? AND HER?"

The two looked like complete idiots. Between Kagome's believable-looking seizure and Inuyasha's inability to say anything else other than those three words, everyone else in the place thought the two were drunk, or just really delusionally. However, Naraku didn't really give a damn.

"... Right…," he reached down under the desk. "Here are your tickets. The first round of the tournament begins at four o'clock," he glanced at the time. "That's in five minutes."

Inuyasha reached for the tickets, "Thanks m-"

"Wait," Naraku retreated his hand and reached for something else. "You guys need a team name," he informed, handing the boy a mini dry erase board and a marker.

Inuyasha turned to face Kagome; alternating glances between her and the board. "Team name…Please tell me how we are going to come up with a name in less than five minutes…" he tapped the marker on his chin.

"THE KUNG FU PANDAS," the girl shouted, rushing to his side.

"HELL NO," he shouted back. "That's lame."

"Dammit, but we sound cute." Kagome pouted and crossed her arms, "You got any better ones, Einstein?"

" _Dammit, Inuyasha, that was a cute name."_

" _THANK YOU SANGO."_

" _Keh! We had to seem strong and intimidating, not soft and welcoming."_

Inuyasha stared blankly at the board; four minutes left until the games begun. "SILENT ASSASSINS," he exclaimed as he rubbed his face against hers.

" _Silent Assassins? Really? Come on, Inuyasha. You're better than that."_

" _One more word pretty boy and that face won't be so pretty."_

" _Oh, why thank you for the compliment, Inuyasha."_

" _That's not what I… Shut up."_

Kagome shoved the boy off her face, "Negative." She took another scan of the room, "We'll Tag That!" The girl bursted into laughter, holding her stomach, "G-Get it? We'll _Tag_ That? Cause.. Laser T-"

"We get it," Inuyasha facepalmed. "He-he-ell no." He tapped on the board and scanned the room as well, "THE FANG AND THE FEARLESS."

"What?" she snatched the board out of his grasp. "No way, Jose-"

"But, it's like The Fast and The Furious," the girl blankly stared at him. "The Fang and The Fearless.. Fast and the Furio-" he pinched the peak of his forehead. "Nevermind."

The two continued to scream and shout; less than two minutes remaining before the tournament had begun. They consistently snatched the mini board from one another after repeatedly replying, "NO" or "Are you serious?!" to the other's suggested name. Veins began to pop up in both of their foreheads, and their hands seconds away from grabbing each other's neck. Even though the whole place was filled with other noises of screams and laughter, Inuyasha and Kagome somehow caught everyone's attention.

"ALRIGHT!" Naraku hollered as he snatched the board and the marker from the two of them. "This-" he frantically scribbled on it. "-is your team name."

"Batman and Robin?" the two laughed obnoxiously in unison.

" _That's PERFECT!"_

" _It's perfect!"_

" _It's not."_

" _It's really not."_

"It's perfect," Naraku brushed off his shoulder. "Now then," he shoved the two to the dark tunneled entrance. "Go save Gotham City!"

He paused, "GET IT? Because Batman and Ro-"

"We get it."

"Allllll-righty then," he awkwardly whispered as he shoved them off into the void.

* * *

 **17 hours ago - 4:00 PM**

It was dark. Pitch black dark. The only source of light were the neon colors that randomly hung above on the ceiling and attached in patches against the wall. The lights that were implanted into the vest shone faintly.

Kagome panicked, her breathing unsteady and her palms already sweaty, "INUYASHA?!"

"'gome…," he said in his normal tone. "What are you doing? I'm right next to you."

She squinted to the left of her, "O-Oh! Pfft, I knew that."

He quietly laughed at her, what he thought, silly thought. "Batman and Robin, huh?"

"I guess that does fit us," she gently smiled, even though he couldn't really tell. "But, to get things straight, I'm-"

"Batman," the two declared simultaneously.

Inuyasha lifted his gun, "Woah woah, let's be real." He lightly tapped her with it, "If anyone's gonna be Batman in this relationship, it's _me_."

Kagome slowly took a step forward closer to him, "And if we're gonna be smart-" she raised the gun to his head, "I'm Batman in this relationship."

"'gome, you do know that's just a laser gun-"

A sudden crash of mixed screams and chants filled the air; heavy footsteps quickly approaching the two. The sounds of lasers ricocheting off the walls and into the shadows. When the lasers faded, the loud chatter took place in the atmosphere, sending chills and jitters down the two's spines - mostly Kagome - .

"I TAKE IT BACK YOU'RE BATMAN, I'M ROBIN, I DON'T WANNA DIE" she yelped as she seeked coverage behind Inuyasha.

The boy smirked and gripped his gun, "Well, well, well." He tapped rhythmically on his thigh, "That's what I th-"

"Yo! I hear some people over here!"

"HIDE!" Inuyasha loudly whispered as he grabbed Kagome and hid behind one of the walls.

He slowly peeked out from his location; quickly glancing at the other walls and formations that served as other hiding options near him. He looked from left to right; at the place they entered to the place they would eventually advance to. The chatter of other people nonexistent, and no footsteps were being heard.

"Okay, here's the plan," Inuyasha gulped. "I'm going to slowly make my way to the next room," he pointed in the direction he was going to go. "You stay back, and when you see me do this-" he nodded his head, "Then you follow my lead. Got it, Robin?"

Kagome chuckled and lightly sighed, "Got it…," Inuyasha coughed. "... Batman."

"See you on the other side," he saluted the girl.

Inuyasha then swiftly made his way through the room. He remained crouched and was cautious with his steps. He kept his breath to a minimal and hushed tone because he knew that these people could just sense fear.

He ran to the other wall opposite of Kagome, keeping eye contact with her and being careful with his peeks. When he saw it was clear, he proceeded to the next wall, and the next one, and the next one, until he halfway through the tunnel that connected to the next room.

He stood up tall, and Kagome watched him holding her breath and gun to her chest. He slowly placed one foot over the other, keeping his movements in mind. He stuck like glue to the wall and gripped his gun tight. When he was finally near the end of the tunnel, he nodded at his partner.

She snuck her way out of her place; tucking and diving to the opposite wall. Unfortunately, her movements were not nearly as swift and cautious as her partner's.

"'GOME?!" Inuyasha yelled in a hushed tone.

"Sorry, sorry, so sorry," the girl apologized as she rushed to the next wall.

"You don't sound convincing at all," he mumbled under his breath. "Come on, _Robin_. Before they find us!"

Kagome peeped out of her spot, "I'm sorry, _Batman_. I AM TRYING."

Footsteps shook the ground. The echoes of lasers and screams bouncing off the walls filled the void once again. Inuyasha caught a glimpse of faint lights that were obviously coming from people's vests.

"Shit!" Inuyasha rushed back to the girl's side, his breath now unsteady.

"Way to go, Batman," Kagome babbled.

The two's heartbeats fastened its pace after each passing moment of anticipation of what was to come. Inuyasha gripped tightly to his gun while Kagome gripped tightly to his shirt. Both of their breaths grew shorter when a group of people arrived at their territory.

"New plan, new plan," Inuyasha frantically muttered as he took a quick peek. "There's only four of them-"

"FOUR?!"

"Shhhhh relax, Robin," he nudged her. "I'm going to just out left side while you pop out right. Breathe and aim. The chest, not the head-" he went off track, "Because the way you get them eliminated is located in the chest not the head. We're not trying to ki-"

"I think I got it, Batman," she intervened.

Inuyasha cleared his throat, "Right right." He counted off his fingers, "Three… Two..." He took one last breath, "ONE! GO!"

And the duo stormed off.

Despite the fact that their "formidable foes" were just four twelve-year old boys, that didn't stop ol' Batman and Robin.

Kagome rolled out to the right and sprinted in front of their opponents. She breathed and aimed, just like her partner had said. She swiftly ducked and dodged the amateurs' inaccurate shots, whereas she, surprisingly, flawlessly nailed both of hers - or so she thought -.

"I got one!" she leaped up in joy. "IN YOUR FACE, KID!"

"KAGOME, WATCH OUT!"

Inuyasha tackled her to the ground; shooting the remaining player and successfully eliminating one whole team.

"Awww man, we're never gonna get on that Hall of Fame…" one of the kids grieved.

Kagome caught her breath and glanced up to her partner, "I was almost a goner…"

"Yeah," the boy smiled. "But, Batman _always_ has Robin's back."

" _Ah, now THAT was one of my favorite parts of the night."_

" _Miroku, how the hell-"_

" _They have cameras in the arena, and televise it in the lobby."_

" _You're freaking weird."_

" _You mean awesome for looking out for my bro? Thank you."_

" _One of these days, Miroku…"_

The two cut their moment short when they both realized that this battle was nowhere near over. They both lifted each other up and sprinted through the tunnel, remaining cautious in the next room. It was still pitch black, but the noises didn't stop. That didn't bother them though. Kagome became a little bit more comfortable, and stayed close to Inuyasha. Inuyasha grew more confident in Kagome; constantly peeking over his shoulder to check on his little soldier.

This room now broke up into two; one opening on the left and another on the right. It was the same lighting and same noises that has been peering out at them.

"I think we should go right," Kagome declared as she motioned towards it.

"No," Inuyasha held her back. "I'm Batman, and I think we should go left."

The girl tugged on his vest, "Right is right… So therefore, WE GO RIGHT."

They both then unexpectedly broke into another argument. Their voices ricocheting off the walls and into the void of their enemies. Kagome going on about, "Right is right!" and Inuyasha proclaiming, "BUT _I'M_ BATMAN."

"ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT," the boy pleaded. "We'll settle this fair and square."

It was rock, paper, scissors, and Kagome won.

" _Nice, Kagome."_

" _Hell yeah, beat Inuyasha's ass!"_

" _Thank you, Miroku, Sango."_

" _... I'm still Batman in this."_

" _Shut up."_

" _Shut up."_

" _Shut up."_

"HA!" she joyfully gloated. "Looks like Robin _does_ have a say in things."

But as it turns out, Kagome seemed to have put them in a more challenging situation. As the duo sneaked down the tunnel, glued against to the wall, there was ten - maybe twelve - people in that one room. They were rolling and diving all over the place; practically bouncing off of the walls. The sounds of lasers and screams were so extreme it made the two go nearly deaf the next day.

" _What?"_

" _What'd she say?"_

Inuyasha slowly turned his head towards his partner, piercing into her eyes, - even though she probably couldn't really tell -, "And this is why…" He paused to make sure they were somewhat safe, "... Batman calls the shots."

"Awww, Inu," she laid a hand on his shoulder. "Are ya scared?"

"KEH!" he faced the other way. "I'm not afraid of these chumps."

Kagome nodded her head and cracked a smile, "Let's put your money where your mouth is."

* * *

 **15 hours ago - 6:42 PM**

There was a total of 25 people who had been apart of the tournament; two groups of four, two groups of five, one group of three, and two couples - Inuyasha and Kagome included -. Out of the 25, the dynamic duo eliminated more half of them; both groups of four and both groups of five.

Kagome fought up close and personal, hitting her mark every single time she shot the gun while Inuyasha played sneaky and strategically, catching people off guard. Kagome hugged the right side, and Inuyasha stuck to the left. The only times where they switched their positions is when the other was in danger. They complimented each other so easily yet so perfectly.

"This, 'gome," he took a deep breath. " _This_ is what we've been waiting for. It's the final round. We have gone through hell and back, thick and thin-"

"Are you giving me a pep tal-"

"We did _NOT_ come all this way to lose now," Inuyasha continued. Kagome rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help but admire his enthusiasm and determination. "There is one team left, and that's the other couple."

"You don't mean-"

"That's right… Our mortal enemies."

Kagome softly snickered, "But, uh… W-We're not a couple…!"

"FOOL," he spoke with a shaky voice. "I know - I know that. You don't think I know that?" He wiped the sweat off his forehead, "Just…," he made gestures, "Okay?"

"Ay-ay, Batman."

Inuyasha crouched and sped his way to the other side. He peeked from the left, and then again from the right. He gave Kagome the nod, and she went off to the right side. The two were about to proceed until they both saw a faint color of neon lights illuminating off from the distance. They both rushed back to position and kept their eyes locked on each other.

As soon as the remaining couple crossed the first wall, Batman and Robin made their move.

Inuyasha popped out of his hiding and shot fires at the other boy; forced to circle back around after missing. Kagome leaped out in front of the other girl, startling her, causing her to recklessly shoot her gun - almost hitting her chest -.

"KAGOME?!" Inuyasha screeched, his heartbeating at an unhealthy rate.

"I'm…!" the girl panted. "Fine!"

The other boy claimed refuge behind a wall across from Inuyasha. Both taking turns of peeking out and missing their marks by an inch. Kagome rolled backwards, going farther than she had hoped. She paced back and forth as she searched for the red-head.

Inuyasha tried to figure out his opponent's next move. He studied his movements as he peeked in and out of his spot. Then, when he knew enough, he executed his strategy.

He timed when the boy would show his face, and recklessly shot in his direction, causing him to feel startled and off rhythm. He went in for the kill; he rolled off to the left side, hugging the nearest wall. His victim was vulnerable and shook. Inuyasha raced off to capture his prey.

"INUYASHA!" Kagome yelped at the top of her lungs. "LOOK OUT!"

But it was too late, the rival girl had already locked onto him as her target.

That was until, Robin came to save the day. She sprinted at the speed of light; making it within four large steps. She leaped into the air with her hands up until she realized, halfway through mid-air, what she should've been doing. She lifted up her gun, took a breath, aimed, and hit her mark.

"Ka…," his eyes were wide open. "go… me…?"

" _Kagome, you certainly outshone Inuyasha out there."_

" _Honey, I couldn't agree any more."_

" _Awwww! Thank you guys!"_

" _... I just have… the best… damned… friends… don't I?"_

" _Yup."_

" _Yup."_

" _Yup."_

The girl rival fell to the ground, bitter in defeat. Inuyasha and Kagome shared a smile and saluted one another before Inuyasha proceeded to deal with his business.

"Any last words?" he pointed the gun proudly to his rival's chest.

"I would've gotten away with it too!" he emphasized. "If it weren't for those meddling kids."

Inuyasha cocked a brow, "Yeah… this isn't Scooby Doo… But I'll take it." And thus the last laser sound went off.

* * *

 **15 minutes later - 6:57 PM**

Confetti erupted and subdued the place as soon as Inuyasha and Kagome walked out the arena. People were cheering, raising their guns up high in the air, and swinging their armored-vests around. Everyone was so happy; the positive vibes filled the air.

"Well," Inuyasha opened up his arms. "We did it."

Kagome fell into his welcoming hug, "That's right." She looked to him, "We did."

"Who would've thought," Naraku said as he emerged from his station and through the crowd.

"Are you kidding me?!" Inuyasha pulled Kagome close. "We are the _DYNAMIC DUO_. Ya hear me?!" He spoke to the crowd, "WE ARE BATMAN AND ROBIN."

The whole building cheered and caused an earthquake. Inuyasha couldn't help but get lost in the moment, and Kagome adored him in secrecy.

" _SANGO! I DID NOT!"_

" _Shhh, 'gome, let the girl tell the story!"_

"On behalf of this year's NYC Laser Tag Tournament," Naraku held out a giant check. "We hereby reward you with $100."

"KEH! AND THEY SAID THEY COULD BEAT ME-"

"No one said that," Kagome shook her head.

"Anyways," Inuyasha straightened his back. "Thank you. We both thank you."

The two snickered to themselves as if they were children again. They embraced the remaining cheers and confetti that seemed to keep on falling. As they shared their last glance with the people and expressed their final thank you, Naraku hopped in front of them.

"I almost forgot!" he pulled out a Canon camera. "You guys need a picture to claim your spot in the Hall of Fame." He held it to his face, ready to take a shot.

Kagome giggled and looked back up at her Inuyasha, "Whaddya say, Batman? What pose you wanna do?"

It didn't even take a second for him to decide. "How 'bout this?"

He hung his mouth wide open as he stretched it with his fingers, letting his tongue fall out and hang slump. He instructed Kagome to grab some lady's giant pair of sunglasses, and wear them in a slant. She then used her index and middle finger to make bunny ears and put it behind Inuyasha's head, despite him already having dog ears.

Kagome didn't realize it then, but he was recreating their childhood picture.


End file.
